BULLETIN  OF  THE 


No.  114 


5  Contribution  from  Office  of  Experiment  Stations,  A.  C.  True,  Director, 

July  13.  1914. 


(PROFESSIONAL  PAPER.) 

IREPORT  UPON  THE  BLACK  AND  BOGGY  SWAMPS  DRAINAGE 
DISTRICT,  HAMPTON  AND  JASPER  COUNTIES,  S.  C. 

By  F.  G.  Eason,  Drainage  Engineer. 

INTRODUCTION. 

;  While  in  some  respects  all  the  swamp  lands  of  the  Atlantic  Coastal 
Plain  are  alike,  the  problems  to  be  met  in  draining  the  lands  differ 
omewhat  from  one  section  to  another.  In  Georgia  and  the  Caro- 
linas  are  many  areas  that  have  little  slope  as  a  whole,  but  in  detail 
|are  somewhat  roiling.  From  the  higher  parts,  scattered  among  the 
|flat  open  woodlands  and  the  timbered  bays  and  branches  in  which 
Jwater  stands  the  greater  part  of  the  year,  the  timber  has  been  cleared 
and  small  farms  have  been  established.  The  watercourses,  which  are 
broad,  shallow,  winding  depressions,  with  no  marked  channel,  are 
usually  filled  with  grovnng  timber  and  thick  underbrush. 

The  topographical  conditions  require  that  these  lands  be  drained 
in  units  of  considerable  size,  necessitating  the  cooperation  of  many 
landowners.  In  order  that  a  few  owners  may  not  prevent  a  greater 
number  from  reclaiming  their  wet  lands,  when  the  few  can  not  be 
|excluded  from  the  district  to  be  formed,  most  States  have  passed 
general  laws  providing  for  the  organization  of  drainage  districts  and 
an  equitable  distribution  of  the  cost.  In  accordance  with  such  a 
statute  enacted  in  191 1  by  the  Legislature  of  South  Carolina,  the  Black 
and  Boggy  Swamps  drainage  district  was  organized  in  March,  1912. 

Because  the  Black  and  Boggy  Swamps  drainage  district  is  in  many 
respects  typical  of  other  areas  in  the  same  and  bordering  States,  and 
because  it  is  the  first  district  organized  under  the  above  law,  and  as 
I  the  landowners  are  naturally  cautious  about  beginning  an  unfamiliar 
kind  of  undertaking.  Drainage  Investigations  of  the  Office  of  Experi- 
^ment  Stations,  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  at  the 
iirequest  of  the  landowners  and  in  cooperation  with  them,  made  a 

Note.— This  paper  is  intended  for  engineers  and  others  interested  in  drainage  enterprises  in  regions 
where  the  conditions  are  similar  to  those  here  described;  it  is  suitable  for  distribution  in  the  South  Atlantic 
States. 


45582®— Bull.  114—14 - 1 


2 


BULLETIN  114,  U.  S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE. 


survey  of  tKe  district  and  prepared  plans  of  the  work  to  be  done, 
together  with  an  estimate  of  the  cost.  The  survey  was  begun  in 
August,  1912,  and  field  work  was  completed  in  November  of  the  same 
year.  The  following  report  presents'  a  description  of  the  district 
and  of  the  drainage  plan  and  a  brief  discussion  of  the  problems  in¬ 
volved  in  such  reclamation. 

general  description. 

LOCATION. 

Black  and  Boggy  Swamps  drainage  district  is  located  about  75 
miles  west  of  Charleston,  S.  C.,  40  miles  north  of  Savannah,  Ga.,  and 
100  miles  south  of  Columbia,  S.  C.,  in  the  southern  part  of  Hampton 
County  and  the  western  part  of  Jasper  County,  S.  C.  (See  fig.  1.) 
It  includes  all  the  lands  drained  by  Boggy  Swamp  and  Black  Swamp, 
together  with  the  lands  in  the  vicinity  of  Garnett  that  are  drained  by 
Church  Branch,  Hog  Branch,  and  King  Branch,  all  extending  as  far 
down  as  high  water  from  the  Savannah  Kiver;  the  area  ia  67,642  acres, 
or  about  106  square  miles.  In  shape  the  district  is  approximately  a 
rectangle,  12  miles  long  northwest  and  southeast,  and  9  miles  wide. 
The  Seaboard  Air  Line  Railway  and  the  Columbia-Savanhah  line 
of  the  Southern  Railway  traverse  the  district  in  a  northerly  and 
southerly  direction,  and  on  these  railroads  are  situated  the  principal 
towns  in  the  district,  Scotia,  Garnett,  Furman,  and  Pineland.  Other 
towns  and  settlements  in  the  district  are  Brighton,  Shirley,  Robert- 
ville,  LawtonviUe,  Staffords,  and  Goethe. 

TOPOGRAPHY. 

The  district  is  situated  40  to  50  miles  from  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  and 
thus  lies  within  the  Coastal  Plain.  There  are  in  the  neighborhood, 
including  the  Black  and  Boggy  Swamps  district,  three  distinct  benches 
or  levels  paralleling  the  Savannah  River.  First,  the  river  swamp 
proper;  second,  a  higher  level  subject  to  occasional  overflow,  known 
locally  as  ^^savannas”;  and  third,  the  general  elevation  of  lands  in 
the  district  under  consideration.  The  north,  east,  and  west  bounda¬ 
ries  of  the  district  are  formed  by  natural  watershed  lines,  but  no  such 
natural  boundary  occurs  on  the  south.  The  general  elevation  of  the 
lands  in  the  southern  part  of  the  district  east  of  the  Seaboard  Air 
Line  Railway  varies  from  50  to  70  feet  above  sea  level  until  the 
second  bench  from  the  river  is  reached,  where  it  suddenly  falls  off 
about  25  feet.  The  foot  of  this  slope  has  been  determined  upon  as 
the  district  boundary.  The  southern  part  of  the  district  west  of  the 
Seaboard  Air  Line  Railway  is  much  flatter  and  no  decided  slope  is 
evident,  the  land  rising  gradually  from  the  second  to  the  third  level, 
so  that  the  southern  boundary  of  the  district  should  be  more  accu- 


6^1.5 
E  o- 1  Jx. 

DKAINAGE  OF  BLACK  AND  BOGGY  SWAMPS,  S.  C.  3 


Lately  established  than  has  yet  been  done.  It  should  be  the  liipdt  of 

high  water  from  the  Savannah  River. 

^  The  general  slope  of  the  ground  is  southward  toward  the  coast  and 

^  westward  toward  the  Savannah  River,  which  is  the  outlet  for  all  of 
i- 


the  drainage  of  the  district.  The  northern  or  upper  end  of  the  district 
is  much  more  rolling  and  hilly  than  are  the  southern  and  western 
ends.  The  topography  north  of  Shirley,  Scotia,  and  Furman  (see 
fig.  2)  is  very  irregular,  there  being  considerable  stretches  of  high  land 
now  under  cultivation,  broken  by  large  areas  of  flat  bays  and  swamps 


4 


BULLETIN  114,  U.  S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE. 


of  much  lower  elevation.  These  bays  usually  are  the  headwaters  of 
the  various  branches  which  flow  southerly  through  the  district. 
Practically  all  of  the  land  in  the  upper  section  of  the  district  that  can 
be  cultivated  under  present  conditions  is  now  being  farmed;  the 
remainder  is  composed  almost  entirely  of  these  flat  bays  and  branches, 
notable  examples  of  which  are  Rogers  Bay,  Steep  Bottom  Bay,  Alli¬ 
gator  Bay,  Green  Pond,  and  Roberts  Pond.  The  section  between 
Scotia,  Shirley,  and  Garnett  is  much  flatter  and  of  an  entirely  different 
conformation.  This  area  is  a  relatively  high  plain,  vdth  marked 
slopes  on  three  sides  to  Wolf  Bay,  Long  Branch,  Church  Branch,  Hog 
Branch,  King  Branch,  Manigault  Branch,  Hurricane  Branch,  and 
Beaver  Dam  Branch  No.  1.  In  it  are  found  large  areas  of  flat,  open 
pine  woods,  containing  standing  water  a  good  portion  of  the  year. 
The  area  is  badly  in  need  of  drainage.  The  wet  condition  is  due  to 
the  lack  of  proper  drainage  connection  between  the  shallow  depres¬ 
sions  on  this  plain  and  the  branches  which  surround  it.  The  drainage 
in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  district  is  good,  owing  to  the  rolling 
nature  of  the  lands  and  the  large  fall  from  them  to  the  branches. 

The  v/estern  portion  of  the  district,  particularly  the  area  west  of  the 
Augusta  Road,  is  different  from  the  other  parts  and  should  be  de¬ 
scribed  separately.  There  is  in  the  extreme  w^estern  part  a  large  area 
called  Haskell  Baroney  Swamp,  which  is  formed  by  the  junction  of 
The  Savannas,  Rum  Branch,  Mill  Branch,  and  Boggy  Swamp. 
Haskell  Baroney  Swamp  is  about  3  miles  long  north  and  south  and 
about  2  miles  mde;  it  is  a  continuous,  flat  swamp,  much  below  the 
general  level  of  the  adjoining  lands.  Betv/een  the  swamp  and  the 
Savannah  River  is  a  clay  ridge  (see  fig.  2) ,  the  top  of  which  forms  the 
western  boundary  of  the  district.  There  are  several  breaks  in  this 
ridge,  and  during  extreme  floods  water  has  been  known  to  flow  from 
the  Savannah  River  through  these  breaks  into  the  head  of  ^^The 
Savannas,’^  thence  through  Boggy  Swamp  back  into  the  river. 

The  eastern  portion  of  the  district  is  also  quite  flat,  and  large  areas 
of  flat  bays  are  encountered,  especially  in  the  southeastern  part,  from 
RobertviUe  toward  Pineland,  and  the  watershed  is  not  clearly  defined. 
Many  years  ago  a  ditch  was  constructed  which  flows  into  Titi  Branch 
and  drains  an  area  in  the  vicinity  of  Pineland.  To  follow  the  natural 
course  of  drainage  this  land  would  not  be  drained  northwest  to  Titi 
Branch  but  southeast  to  Cypress  CVeek,  which  stream  is  not  in  the 
district.  The  prese'nt  course  of  drainage  is  unnatural,  and  these  lands 
have  therefore  been  excluded  from  the  district. 

There  are  several  ponds  in  the  district  which,  owing  to  their  depth, 
can  not  be  drained  by  gravity,  but  must  remain  undrained  unless 
pumping  is  resorted  to.  The  general  location  of  these  ponds  is  the 
flat  land  between  Scotia  and  Shirley,  but  the  total  area  is  only  a  few 


DRAINAGE  OF  BLACK  AND  BOGGY  SWAMPS,  S.  C. 


5 


The  highways  of  the  district  are  the  usual  dirt  roads,  but  they  have 
been  improved  recently  by  the  county  and  are  now  in  very  good 
condition. 

WATERSHEDS. 

There  are  two  distinct  primary  watershed  areas  in  this  district, 
drained  respectively  by  Boggy  Swamp  and  Black  Swamp,  which  are 
in  turn  divided  into  various  secondary  watersheds  drained  by  the 
tributary  branches  or  swamps.  In  addition  to  the  two  main  water¬ 
sheds  with  their  tributaries  there  is  included  within  the  district  a 
section  of  land  in  the  vicinity  of  Garnett  drained  by  Church  Branch, 
Hog  Branch,  and  King  Branch.  These  branches  flow  down  into  the 
second  level  of  overflowed  lands  bordering  the  Savannah  Kiver  and 
form  what  is  known  as  the  ^^Pallachucolla  Savannas,’’  which  empty 
farther  down  into  Black  Swamp.  Thus,  while  they  are  in  reahty 
tributaries  of  Black  Swamp,  they  will  require  separate  handling  so 
far  as  this  project  is  concerned.  Similarly,  Scott  Swamp  No.  1, 
south  of  RobertviUe,  and  two  small  areas  farther  west  must  be  con¬ 
sidered  separately.  Black  Swamp  and  its  tributaries  drain  18,490 
acres,  Boggy  Swamp  and  its  tributaries  drain  36,693  acres,  and  the 
independent  watercourses  drain  12,459  acres. 

These  watershed  areas  are  for  the  most  part  fairly  roUing,  although 
the  portion  of  the  district  west  of  the  Augusta  Road  and  that  part 
between  Scotia  and  Garnett  are  quite  flat.  The  higher  and  more 
rolling  lands  are  cultivated  to  some  extent  at  present,  as  they  have 
very  fair  natural  drainage,  which  is  aided  by  some  farm  drainage; 
but  even  on  those  lands  crops  fail  in  wet  years,  showing  the  need  of 
a  general  system  of  drainage.  The  swamps  and  the  flatter  areas  are 
mostly  covered  with  timber,  which  is  being  rapidly  cut  off  by  lumber 
companies. 

DRAINAGE  CHANNELS. 

There  is  no  lack  of  drainage  channels  in  Black  and  Boggy  Swamps 
district,  yet  drainage  conditions  are  bad.  The  situation  is  due  pri¬ 
marily  to  two  causes — (1 )  lack  of  suitable  drainage  connection  between 
the  wet,  flat  areas  and  the  drainage  channels  or  branches,  and  (2) 
the  inability  of  the  drainage  channels  to  remove  the  water  after  it 
has  reached  them.  The  two  main  drainage  channels  for  the  district 
are  Boggy  Swamp  and  Black  Swamp,  the  former  serving  the  northern 
and  western  parts  of  the  district,  the  latter  serving  the  eastern  part, 
and  both  Anally  emptying  into  the  Savannah  River,  the  outlet  for 
all  of  the  water  from  this  district.  There  are  numerous  smaller 
branches  or  swamps  tributary  to  these,  which  reach  out  to  the  differ¬ 
ent  parts  of  the  district,  and  which  are  the  outlets  for  the  drainage 
from  their  respective  watersheds.  A  general  description  of  these 
channels  will  suffice  for  this  discussion,  since  they  are  all  similar  in 
character  and  differ  only  as  to  size. 


6  BULLETIN  114,  U.  S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

In  general,  the  drainage  outlets  are  low,  flat  branches  or  swamps, 
varying  in  width  from  50  to  1,500  feet  and  having  in  most  instances- 
no  discernible  channel  or  ^^run.’’  Where  a  branch  has  a  run  of  appre¬ 
ciable  size,  the  latter  will  almost  invariably  be  found  so  choked  with 
fallen  logs  and  trees,  bushes,  and  all  manner  of  debris,  as  to  afford 
but  a  poor  channel  for  the  water.  The  branches  are  overgrown  with 
thick  underbrush  and.  water-loving  trees,  such  as  cypress,  gum,  mapley 
and  ash,  through  which  the  water  finds  its  way  but  slowly  There 
being  in  most  places  no  channel,  the  water  covers  the  ground  from 
hill  to  hill,  and  the  swamps,  therefore,  can  not  be  cultivated.  Where 
the  adjoining  land  lies  but  little  above  the  level  of  the  swamp  it  also 
is  affected  to  a  great  extent  by  this  water,  which  seeps  the  land  and 
thus  keeps  it  wet  and  soiu*.  While  cleaning  out  these  swamps  would 
undoubtedly  help  conditions  considerably,  this  alone  will  not  give 
satisfactory  drainage,  which  can  result  only  from  lowering  the  water 
table  by  the  construction  of  deep  ditches.  These  swamps  are  almost 
continually  wet,  and  in  most  seasons  contain  standing  water.  How¬ 
ever,  with  the  exception  of  those  near  the  Savannah  Eiver,  they  all 
have  large  fall  and  can  easily  be  drained.  The  bays  and  ponds 
where  most  of  these  branches  have  their  rise  are  very  flat,  and  for 
this  reason  will  be  much  more  difficult  to  drain. 

In  places  throughout  the  district  ditches  have  been  dug  in  these 
branches,  and  much  good  has  resulted  from  them.  Hurricane  Branch 
and  Hog  Branch  have  been  improved  in  this  manner,  and  little  addi¬ 
tional  work  on  them  is  necessary,  the  swamp  often  being  under 
cultivation  right  up  to  the  edge  of  the  ditch.  These  are  exceptions, 
however,  and  comparatively  Httle  work  of  this  character  has  been 
done.  After  having  been  constructed,  these  ditches  have  not  always 
been  maintained,  and  consequently  have  filled  up  and  fallen  into 
disuse. 

son.  AND  CROPS. 

The  predominating  soil  of  the  district  is  a  light  sandy  loam  under¬ 
lain  by  a  reddish  to  yellow  clay  subsoil  at  depths  of  4  to  18  inches. 
This  is  the  type  most  generally  cultivated  in  the  district  at  this  time. 
The  soil  on  the  flat  ‘^piney  woods’’  land  is  composed  of  a  grayish 
clay,  which  is  extremely  tenacious  and  is  difficult  to  drain  on  account 
of  its  compact  nature.  Toward  the  Savannah  River  the  sandy  soil 
changes  to  a  red  clay,  which  can  be  seen  outcropping  in  places. 
The  soil  of  the  bays,  swamps,  and  branches  is  a  heavy  black  muck, 
several  feet  thick,  which  in  most  places  is  underlain  by  a  clay,  but 
in  some  of  the  bays  by  a  sandy  subsoil.  While  the  ditches  planned 
are  to  be  located  almost  entirely  in  the  muck  soil  of  the  swamps  and 
branches,  they  are  to  furnish  drainage  outlets  for  all  the  district,  as 
all  the  soil  types  need  drainage,  though  the  need  is  not  so  great  for 
the  loam  soil  as  for  the  others. 


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U  S  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE  OFFICE  OF  EXPERIMENT  STATIONS 

drainage.  INVEISTIGATIONS 

MAP  OF 

BLACK  AND  BOGGY  SWAMPS  DRAINAGE  DISTRICT 

HAMPTON  AND  JASPER  COUNTIES, S.C. 

Showing  proposed  drainage  channels 

Prepared  to  accompany  a  report  upon  the  drainage  of  the  district  by 
FG.Eason, Drainage  Engineer 

Under  the  direction  of 

S.H.MSCrory, Chief  of  Drainage  Investigations 
1913 


River 


legend 

Proposed  Ditches  - - Ro<3ds —  '  " '  ’ ' 

District  Boundary  Watershed  Line . .. 

Surface  EJevahons  oESiyanip.^  _ 

Bench  Marks _ HighWafer  Lwe 


JG  HANFORD  DEL 


ANO  THF  Al  *m*i 


s 


A 


ELEVATION  IN  FEET 


DRAINAGE  OF  BLACK  AND  BOGGY  SWAMPS^  S.  C. 


7 


The  principal  industry  of  the  people  of  the  district  is  farming;  but 
only  a  small  part  of  the  land  available  for  this  purpose  is  now  being 
utilized,  due  to  the  sparsely  settled  condition.  The  chief  money 
crop  of  the  district  is  cotton,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  acreage 
under  cultivation  is  planted  to  it.  The  other  crops  grown  are  prin¬ 
cipally  corn,  oats,  hay,  and  watermelons.  Labor  conditions  in  the 
district  are  not  of  the  best,  but  notwithstanding  this  drawback  very 
good  crops  are  obtained,  due  to  intelhgent  methods  of  cultivation 
and  fertilizing.  The  growing  of  truck  crops  might  become  very 
profitable  by  the  utilization  of  artesian  water  for  irrigation.  There 
are  already  a  number  of  these  wells  scattered  over  the  district,  all 
of  which  are  bold,  flowing  wells  from  900  to  1,000  feet  deep. 

THE  SURVEY. 

The  survey  was  made  from  camp  by  a  party  under  the  direction 
of  F.  G.  Eason.  Field  work  was  begun  August  2,  1912,  and  com¬ 
pleted  November  14,  1912.  The  principal  roads  of  the  district  were 
traversed  by  compass  and  stadia,  ground  surface  elevations  being 
taken  at  intervals  of  about  500  feet.  All  the  branches,  swamps,  and 
watercourses  were  meandered  by  stadia  and  compass,  and  sufficient 
elevations  were  taken  in  them  to  secure  the  data  necessary  for  the 
proper  location  of  the  ditches.  Levels  were  run  entirely  across  the 
district,  usually  east  and  west,  at  intervals  of  about  one-half  mile, 
and  these  lines  were  tied  to  all  other  level  lines  crossed.  Levels 
were  also  run  along  both  railroads. 

After  the  edges  of  Boggy  Swamp  and  Black  Swamp  had  been 
surveyed,  the  locations  of  the  proposed  ditches  in  them  were  deter¬ 
mined  by  means  of  compass  and  steel-tape  measurements,  except 
from  station  0  to  station  150  on  Boggy  Swamp  and  from  station  0  to 
station  62  on  Black  Swamp.  On  the  located  lines  stakes  properly 
marked  were  set  at  intervals  of  100  feet;  substantial  hubs  were  set 
about  500  feet  apart  and  at  angles  in  the  line;  and  the  trees  along  the 
fines  were  well  blazed.  Profile  levels  were  run  over  these  lines,  eleva¬ 
tions  being  taken  every  100  feet.  The  Black  Swamp  and  Boggy 
Swamp  ditches  were  the  only  ones  located  in  the  field;  the  other 
ditch  lines  shown  on  the  map  were  not  surveyed. 

The  datum  for  the  levels  is  sea  level  as  secured  from  the  Seaboard 
Air  Lme  Bailway,  taking  the  elevation  of  top  of  rail  at  Scotia  and  run¬ 
ning  all  levels  from  that  point.  Bench  marks  were  set  along  the  main 
roads  and  at  other  prominent  points,  usually  on  roots  of  trees  suitably 
inscribed.  Three  standard  iron  and  bronze  Drainage  Investigations 
bench  marks  were  set,  one  each  at  Scotia,  Brighton,  and  Kobertville. 
The  data  secured  in  the  survey  are  shown  on  the  accompanying  map 
and  profile  (figs.  2  and  3). 


8  BULLETIN  114,  U.  S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

RUN-OFF. 

The  run-off  from  a  natural  drainage  basin  is  generally  under¬ 
stood  to  be  that  water  which  flows  from  the  area  through  the  surface 
outlet  channel.  In  designing  drainage  improvements,  consideration 
must  be  given  to  the  maximum  rate  of  run-off  for  which  provision 
should  be  made  rather  than  to  the  total  quantity  to  be  removed.  The 
principal  factors  affecting  this  rate  in  the  Black  and  Boggy  Swamps 
drainage  district  are  rainfall,  soil,  and  topography. 

RAINFALL. 

There  are  no  stations  of  the  United  States  Weather  Bureau  within 
this  district,  although  it  is  well  surrounded  by  stations  at  which  con¬ 
tinuous  precipitation  records  have  been  kept  for  years.  From  a  study 
of  the  records  secured  at  Allendale,  Walterboro,  and  Yemassee,  S.  C., 
and  Statesboro,  Ga.  (see  fig.  1),  the  rainfall  in  the  Black  and  Boggy 
Swamps  district  can  be  learned  with  sufficient  accuracy.  These 
daily  records  for  the  years  1903  to  1912,  inclusive,  have  been  carefully 
compared  with  each  other  and  with  the  daily  records  secured  at 
Wliiteville,  N.  C.,  for  comparing  this  district  with  the  Chadbourn  and 
Lyon  Swamp  districts  as  explained  in  the  following  paragraphs. 

PROBABLE  RATE  OF  RUN-OFF. 

Drainage  districts  where  conditions  are  similar  to  those  in  the 
Black  and  Boggy  Swamps  drainage  district  have  been  completed  in 
southeastern  North  Carolina  and  have  been  in  operation  for  sometime, 
but  no  measurements  of  flood  run-off  from  these  ditches  have  been 
made.  These  districts,  however,  afford  the  best  guide  in  designing 
the  ditches  for  this  district.  At  Chadbomm,  N.  C.,  the  rainfall,  topog¬ 
raphy,  evaporation  and  transpiration  of  plants,  climate  and  seasons, 
the  natm’al  reservoir  and  storage  capacities  of  the  streams,  and  the  na¬ 
ture  of  the  vegetable  growth  are  very  nearly  the  same  as  in  the  district 
under  discussion.  Several  ditches  which  drain  areas  varying  in  size 
from  400  to  2,150  acres  have  been  constructed  in  that  locality  and 
have  been  in  operation  for  about  two  years.  The  prmcipal  difference 
between  conditions  at  Chadbourn  and  in  Black  and  Boggy  Swamps 
district  is  that  the  soil  at  Chadbourn  is  a  sandy  loam  3  to  8  inches  deep 
underlain  by  a  clay  or  clayey  sand  that  is  quite  permeable  and  which 
will  absorb  water  very  readily;  this,  as  compared  with  the  soil  in  the 
district  under  discussion,  wiU  give  a  low  run-off.  The  ditches  at 
Chadbourn  were  designed  to  remove  1  inch  in  depth  of  water  from 
the  entire  watershed  in  24  hours  when  running  bank  fuU.  Where 
those  ditches  were  constructed  as  designed  they  are  working  satis¬ 
factorily. 

In  Bladen  and  Pender  Counties,  N.  C.,  the  Lyon  Swamp  Canal, 
which  drains  an  area  of  about  18,000  acres,  has  been  completed  for  a 


DRAINAGE  OF  BLACK  AND  BOGGY  SWAMPS^  S.  C. 


9 


year  or  more.  Conditions  in  the  Lyon  Swamp  district  are  practically 
the  same  as  at  Chadbourn,  and  the  chief  difference,  so  far  as  run-off 
factors  are  concerned,  between  that  district  and  the  Black  and  Boggy 
Swamps  drainage  district  lies  in  the  character  of  the  soil.  The 
drainage  area  of  the  Lyon  Swamp  district  consists  of  6,000  acres  of 
dark  brown  and  black  loam  from  3  to  5  feet  deep  underlain  by  a  coarse 
sand,  which  gradually  changes  to  a  fine  sand,  and  about  12,000  acres 
of  sand  ridges  and  bays,  the  latter  varying  in  size  from  1  acre  to  2,000 
acres.  The  soil  of  the  sand  ridges  consists  of  a  very  coarse  white 
sand,  which  absorbs  the  heaviest  rainfalls  with  great  rapidity.  That 
of  the  bays  consists  of  a  very  fine  white  sand  near  the  surface,  which 
also  absorbs  water  quite  readily.  The  entire  area  is  underlain  by 
blue  marl  at  a  depth  of  from  15  to  20'  feet  below  the  surface.  The 
Lyon  Swamp  ditch  was  designed  to  remove  one-half  inch  in  depth  of 
water  from  the  entire  area  in  24  hours.  The  soil  in  this  district,  taken 
as  a  whole,  will  give  a  considerably  lower  rim-off  than  that  of  the 
Black  and  Boggy  Swamps  drainage  district. 

From  the  preceding  description  of  the  several  districts  it  will  be 
seen  that  the  chief  difference  is  in  the  character  of  the  soil,  that  of 
the  Black  and  Boggy  Swamps  drainage  district  being  of  such  a  char¬ 
acter  as  to  give  a  somewhat  higher  run-off  than  either  of  the  other 
districts.  Therefore  it  would  appear  that  the  main  outlet  ditch  for 
Boggy  Swamp  should  be  designed  to  remove  a  run-off  of  three-fourths 
inch  depth  in  24  hours  from  its  entire  watershed  of  36,693  acres 
and  1  inch  depth  from  areas  less  than  20,000  acres.  On  the  same 
basis  the  main  outlet  ditch  for  Black  Sw^amp  should  be  designed  to 
'  remove  1  inch  of  depth  of  run-off  from  its  entire  watershed  area, 
18,490  acres. 

PLAN  OF  IMPROVEMENT. 

The  plan  recommended  for  reclaiming  the  lands  of  Black  and 
Boggy  Swamps  drainage  district  consists  of  a  system  of  open  ditches. 
These  ditches,  as  a  general  rule,  are  planned  to  lie  in  the  lowest  parts 
of  the  swamps  and  are  as  straight  as  can  be  made  without  leaving 
the  swamp.  In  only  a  few  instances  have  the  swamps  been  departed 
from,  the  object  in  these  cases  being  to  make  cut-offs  across  the 
adjoining  lands  where  they  are  low,  thus  reducing  the  distance. 
The  complete  plan  involves  the  construction  of  68  miles  of  dredged 
ditches  and  98  miles  of  handmade  ditches,  a  total  of  166  miles  for 
the  district.  On  the  two  lines  located  in  the  field  all  changes  of 
direction  have  been  shown  by  angles,  which  in  construction  should 
be  replaced  by  curves  of  suitable  radius  so  that  the  flow  of  water 
will  not  be  retarded  by  abrupt  changes  of  direction.  In  the  fol¬ 
lowing  paragraphs  some  of  the  principal  features  of  ditch  construc¬ 
tion  as  applicable  to  this  district  are  taken  up. 

45582°— Bull.  114—14 - 2 


10 


BULLETIN  114,  U.  S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE. 


SIZES  OF  DITCHES. 

The  computations  of  the  ditch  capacities  have  been  based  on  the 
Chezy  formula  for  flow  in  open  channels,  V  =  CVllS,  in  which  C  was 
determined  by  Kutter’s  formula,  using  0.030  as  the  value  of  the 
roughness  coefiicient  n.^’  Except  at  the  lower  end  of  Boggy  Swamp 
and  Black  Swamp,  however,  the  controlling  feature  in  determining 
the  sizes  of  the  ditches  has  been  the  method  of  construction  rather 
than  the  required  capacity  of  the  waterway. 

Experience  has  shown  that  in  heavily  timbered  lands  such  as  these 
the  best  type  of  machine  to  use  is  the  floating  dipper  dredge;  but 
to  float  a  machine  of  this  kind  frequently  requires  a  larger  ditch 
than  would  be  necessary  to  take  care  of  the  maximum  run-off.  In 
lieu  of  the  dredge  the  only  practicable  methods  of  construction  will 
be  hand  labor  or  explosives;  by  the  former  method  a  ditch  of  just 
the  required  size  could  be  constructed,  but  at  a  price  per  cubic  yard 
very  much  greater  than  for  dredge  work,  so  a  ditch  roughly  two 
and  one  half  times  the  required  size,  provided  it  is  no  smaller  than 
the  minimum  dredge  ditch,  could  be  constructed  by  the  dredge  for 
the  same  cost  as  by  hand  labor  and  in  a  much  shorter  time.  The 
construction  of  ditches  with  explosives  is  comparatively  new,  and 
has  met  with  varying  degrees  of  success.  It  might  be  well  to  experi¬ 
ment  with  this  method  on  some  of  the  smaller  ditches,  which  are  of 
a  size  best  adapted  to  its  use. 

The  smallest  ditch  that  can  be  constructed  with  a  dipper  dredge 
of  sufficient  power  to  remove  the  stumps  and  sunken  timbers  is  one 
with  a  14-foot  bottom  width,  6-foot  depth,  and  side  slopes  |  hori¬ 
zontal  to  1  vertical.  Such  a  ditch  would  have  a  top  width  of  20 
feet.  However,  to  afford  proper  drainage  the  depths  of  the  dredged 
ditches  should  in  this  case  be  not  less  than  7  feet,  and  therefore 
wherever  in  this  report  the  phrase  “minimum  dredge  ditch is 
used  it  refers  to  a  ditch  with  14-foot  bottom  width,  7-foot  depth,  and 
I  to  1  side  slopes.  Ditches  of  this  character  are  proposed  for  all  of 
the  main  tributary  branches  except*  Hurricane  Branch,  Scott  Swamp 
No.  1,  Ballifore  Branch,  Rose  Hill  Branch,  Titi  Branch,  Causeys 
Branch,  Long  Branch,  and  Lyas  Bay,  which  streams  are  too  short  to 
warrant  putting  in  a  dredge.  On  some  of  the  tributaries  the  upper 
mile  of  each  ditch  should  be  excavated  by  hand,  as  such  channels  will 
have  sufficient  capacity  and  will  cost  considerably  less  than  minimum 
dredge  ditches.  The  ditches  to  be  constructed  by  hand  labor,  with 
one,  exception,  are  recommended  to  have  3-foot  bottom  widths, 
5-foot  depths,  and  J  to  1  side  slopes;  such  a  ditch  has  an  8-foot  top 
width.  This  kind  of  ditch  wiU  be  referred  to  in  this  report  as  a 
“handmade  ditch,’^  as  all  of  the  ditches  not  constructed  vdth  dredges 
are  recommended  to  be  of  this  size  except  the  upper  end  of  Boggy 
Swamp,  which  should  be  6  feet  deep.  The  excavation  for  a  minimum 


DRAINAGE  OF  BLACK  AND  BOGGY  SWAMPS,  S.  C. 


11 


dredge  ditch,  is  4.54  cubic  yards  per  linear  foot  of  channel,  and  for  a 
handmade  ditch  it  is  approximately  1  cubic  yard  per  foot. 

BERMS. 

In  order  not  to  put  undue  weight  on  the  ditch  banks  and  to  keep 
the  waste  material  from  refilling  the  ditches,  a  clear  berm  of  8  feet 
between  the  edge  of  the  ditch  and  the  toe  of  the  spoil  bank  should 
be  left  on  each  side  of  all  the  dredged  channels,  and  similar  berms 
3  feet  wide  should  be  left  along  the  handmade  ditches. 

RIGHT  OF  WAY. 

It  is  necessary  that  a  right  of  way  be  cleared  through  the  swamps 
for  all  the  ditches  and  that  it  be  purchased  and  owned  by  the  drain¬ 
age  district.  The  width  of  the  right  of  way  should  be  determined 
according  to  the  bottom  width  of  the  ditch,  since  the  depth  of  cut 
does  not  vary  greatly,  as  follows:  For  3-foot  ditch,  30-foot  right  of 
way;  for  14-foot  ditch,  80-foot  right  of  way;  for  16  to  20  foot  ditch, 
90-foot  right  of  way;  for  22-foot  ditch,  100-foot  right  of  way;  and  for 
28  to  30  foot  ditch,  120-foot  right  of  way.  The  improvements 
recommended  in  this  report  will  require  a  total  of  1,043  acres  right 
of  way. 

It  is  suggested  that  an  effort  be  made  to  secure  easements  for  the 
right  of  way  instead  of  purchasing  it,  as  has  been  done  by  some 
drainage  districts.  Such  easements  give  the  district  complete  con¬ 
trol  of  the  land  so  long  as  it  is  used  for  drainage  works;  otherwise  the 
land  reverts  to  the  owner. 

BRIDGES. 

The  State  law  requires  that  the  drainage  district  construct  aU 
public  highway  bridges  that  are  made  necessary  by  the  construc¬ 
tion  of  a  ditch.  Steel  bridges  with  concrete  abutments  are  recom¬ 
mended,  although  costing  more  than  wooden  structures,  because 
the  cost  of  maintenance  will  be  much  less.  In  making  the  estimate 
of  cost,  bridges  have  been  included  for  all  pubhc  road  crossings.  It 
is  assumed  that  in  most  cases  30-foot  bridges  will  be  suitable  for 
ditches  with  14-foot  bases,  and  15-foot  bridges  for  ditehes  with 
3-foot  bases. 

IMPROVEMENTS  IN  BOGGY  SWAMP  WATERSHED. 

Boggy  Swamp  is  the  longest  stream  in  the  district,  and  drains  the 
largest  area.  The  swamp  along  the  upper  2J  miles  of  this  stream  is 
not  over  100  feet  wide;  then  it  increases  to  about  one-half  mile  wide, 
continuing  so  to  the  Orangeburg  Koad.  From  there  to  the  Morrison 
Road  it  narrows  to  as  little  as  50  feet  in  places,  having  occasional 
arms  or  branching  bays.  Between  Morrison  Road  and  Haskell 
Baroney  Swamp  the  width  varies  from  200  to  1,500  feet,  averaging 


12  BULLETIN  114,  U.  S.  DEPAKTMENT  OF  AGKICULTUKE. 

about  500,  and  from  a  mile  above  Hamilton  Ridge  Road  to  the  river 
swamp  the  width  is  about  700  feet.  The  upper  part  of  the  drainage 
area  is  comparatively  well  drained,  and  largely  under  cultivation. 
It  is  rolling,  with  good  fall  to  the  swamp.  Below  the  Orangeburg 
Road  the  land  is  much  flatter,  with  little  fall  to  the  swamp  above  the 
Morrison  Road,  but  with  a  break  of  10  to  25  feet  to  the  swamp  level 
below  that  road.  The  largest  cultivated  tracts  are  along  the  main 
swamps  where  drainage  is  better  than  on  higher  land  farther  back. 
The  chief  need  of  this  section  is  better  drainage  channels  to  bring  the 
water  to  the  main  streams. 

The  proposed  improvement  in  Boggy  Swamp  consists  of  a  ditch 
throughout  the  length  of  the  swamp.  (See  figs.  2  and  3.)  From  sta¬ 
tion  0,  the  upper  end,  to  station  130,  the  ditch  should  be  constructed 
by  hand  labor,  with  3-foot  bottom  width,  6-foot  depth,  and  side 
slopes  J  to  1,  giving  a  top  width  of  9  feet.  From  station  130 
to  station  758,  the  lower  end,  the  ditch  is  to  bo  constructed  with  a 
floating  dipper  dredge.  At  the  upper  end  of  this  portion  there  will 
be  a  minimum  dredge  ditch,  and  the  bottom  width  will  gradually 
increase  to  30  feet  at  the  lower  end.  The  total  fall  in  Boggy  Swamp 
is  100  feet,  varying  from  17  feet  per  mile  at  the  upper  end,  to  1.8  feet 
per  mile  at  the  lower  end.  (See  fig.  3.)  The  Boggy  Swamp  ditch 
is  not  carried  on  to  the  Savannah  River  Swamp,  but  ends  about  H 
miles  below  the  Hamilton  Ridge  Road.  Below  the  end  of  the  pro¬ 
posed  ditch  the  water  will  overflow  the  swamp,  but  the  lands  adjoin¬ 
ing  this  portion  of  the  swamp  are  much  higher  and  will  not  bo  dam¬ 
aged,  while  the  swamp  itself  is  subject  to  overflow  from  the  Savannah 
River  and  wfll  be  of  little  value  for  agriculture. 

The  following  table  summarizes  the  data  and  hydraulic  computa¬ 
tions  for  the  proposed  Boggy  Swamp  ditch: 


Table  1. — Data  and  computations  for  Boggy  Swamp  ditch. 
•  [Side  slopes  of  ditch,  J  to  1.] 


Stations. 

Depth. 

Bottom 

width. 

Fall. 

Com¬ 

puted 

velocity. 

Watershed. 

Com¬ 

puted 

ditch 

capacity. 

From — 

To — 

Area. 

Run-ofl. 

Ft.  per 

Feet  per 

Feet  per 

Cu.ft. 

Cu.ft. 

Feet. 

Feet. 

foot. 

mile. 

second. 

Acres. 

per  sec. 

per  sec. 

00 

40 

6 

3 

0.00225 

11.88 

600 

40 

80 

6 

3 

.00325 

17.16 

1,150 

80 

130 

6 

3 

.00206 

10.88 

3.6 

1,800 

130 

130 

143 

7 

14 

.00206 

10.88 

3.7 

2,000 

700 

143 

260 

7 

14' 

.00051 

2.69 

2.9 

3,300 

360 

260 

355 

7 

14 

.00171 

9.03 

5.15 

4, 175 

630 

355 

423 

7 

14 

.00171 

9.03 

5. 15 

8,000 

630 

423 

440 

7 

14 

.00171 

9.03 

5.15 

14, 800 

620 

630 

440 

531 

7 

20 

. 00087 

4.  61 

4.1 

15, 875 

665 

675 

531 

570 

7 

22 

.00087 

4.  61 

4. 15 

17,025 

715 

740 

570 

628 

7 

24 

. 00087 

4. 61 

4.25 

19,850 

835 

815 

628 

660 

7 

28 

.00087 

4.61 

4.35 

29,475 

930 

960 

660 

758 

7 

30 

.000.34 

1.80 

2.8 

31,900 

1,005 

655 

DRAINAGE  OF  BLACK  AND  BOGGY  SWAMPS,  S.  C. 


13 


The  estimate  of  the  amount  of  excavation  for  this  ditch  was  com¬ 
puted  in  2,000-foot  sections  from  the  profile  data  secured.  Six  high¬ 
way  bridges  will  be  required,  three  of  30  feet  span,  and  one  each  of 
15,  35,  and  45  feet  span. 

Beaver  Dam  Branch  No.  1  is  the  largest  tributary  of  Boggy  Swamp, 
being  about  8  miles  long.  It  has  numerous  tributaries,  in  which  small 
ditches  should  be  constructed.  The  sv/amp  along  this  branch  is  very 
narrow,  except  the  portion  southwest  of  Scotia,  which  is  about  2,000 
feet  wide,  and  formerly  was  cultivated  in  rice.  The  upper  portion 
of  the  drainage  area  is  rolling,  and  is  practically  aU  under  cultivation 
except  in  the  several  bays.  The  lower  part  is  much  flatter  and  con¬ 
tains  large  areas  of  flat  woods  which  are  badly  in  need  of  drainage. 
The  proposed  improvements  on  Beaver  Dam  Branch  No.  1  consist 
of  a  handmade  ditch  for  the  upper  7,550  feet,  above  the  Seaboard 
Ah*  Line  Railway,  and  a  minimum  dredge  ditch  from  the  railroad 
down  to  Boggy  Swamp,  a  total  length  of  38,500  feet.  The  fall  is  37 
feet  in  7.3  miles,  or  5  feet  to  the  mile,  but  very  little  of  it  occurs  in 
the  upper  mile.  Two  30-foot  highway  bridges  will  be  required. 

Beaver  Dam  Branch  No.  2  has  a  swamp  that  varies  much  in  width, 
from  100  feet  in  some  places  to  a  half-mile  in  others.  The  watershed 
area  comprises  mostly  good  rolling  land,  much  of  which  is  under  cul¬ 
tivation  at  the  present  time,  although  there  is  a  large  area  of  flat 
bays  and  ponds  covered  with  a  thick  growth  of  timber.  The  pro¬ 
posed  improvements  consist  of  a  minimum  dredge  ditch  for  its  whole 
length  of  25,420  feet,  except  the  upper  mile  which  should  be  a  hand¬ 
made  ditch.  The  fall  is  about  35  feet  in  5  miles.  One  30-foot  bridge 
will  be  required. 

Manigault  Branch  heads  in  a  series  of  flats  and  ponds  between 
Shirley  and  Scotia,  and  joins  Boggy  Swamp  where  the  swamps  are  sub¬ 
ject  to  overflow  from  the  Savannah  River.  For  the  first  2  miles, 
in  the  flats  and  ponds,  the  swamp  is  about  one-fourth  mile  wide,  but 
it  narrows  below  the  Augusta  Road  to  about  100  feet,  widening  out 
again  lower  down  to  about  500  feet.  The  watershed  area  of  Mani¬ 
gault  Branch  is  for  the  most  part  fairly  flat,  with  large  stretches  of 
flat  pine  woods  and  a  small  percentage  of  land  under  cultivation. 
The  proposed  improvements  on  this  branch  consist  of  a  jninimum 
dredge  ditch  33,150  feet  long.  The  fall  in  the  upper  2  miles  of  the 
branch  is  shght,  but  below  Augusta  Road  it  is  44  feet  in  3.6  miles. 
The  lower  mile  of  Manigault  Branch  is  subject  to  overflow  from  the 
Savannah  River,  and  while  it  is  not  absolutely  necessary  that  the 
improvements  extend  down  to  Boggy  Swamp,  it  is  recommended  that 
they  be  carried  to  that  point,  as  this  will  provide  a  better  outlet 
for  the  lands  above.  One  30-foot  highway  bridge  will  be  needed. 

MiU  Branch  Swamp,  between  the  flat  bay  in  which  the  branch  rises 
and  Haskell  Baroney  Swamp,  averages  hardly  more  than  100  feet  wide. 


14 


BULLETIN  114,  U.  S.  DEPABTMENT  OF  AGEICULTURE. 


The  fall  on  tliis  branch  amounts  to  38  feet  in  4.8  miles,  or  about  8  feet 
to  the  mile.  The  watershed  area  is  quite  rolling,  with  marked  differ¬ 
ences  in  elevation  between  the  highlands  and  the  bays,  and  nearly 
all  of  the  former  are  now  under  cultivation.  The  proposed  improve¬ 
ments  on  this  branch  consist  of  a  handmade  ditch  for  the  6,700  feet 
above  the  Mill  Koad,  and  the  minimum  dredge  ditch  for  the  remainder 
of  the  25,240  feet  total  length.  Two  30-foot  bridges  will  be  required. 

The  Savannas  lie  in  the  flattest  section  of  the  district,  nearest  the 
Savaimah  River.  The  area  drained,  except  that  tributary  to  Rum 
Branch,  is  extremely  flat  for  the  most  part,  being  composed  almost 
entirely  of  flat  swamp  covered  with  an  excellent  growth  of  timber. 
The  soil  is  very  rich  and  could  be  converted  into  valuable  farm 
land.  The  Savannas  are  several  hundred  feet  wide,  with  no  dis¬ 
cernible  channel  or  run.  The  vegetation  in  the  upper  part  of  this 
swamp  is  quite  different  from  that  in  the  other  branches,  for  the  others 
are  covered  with  thick  growths  of  timber  and  brush,  while  the 
Savannas  are  comparatively  open,  having  a  thick  growth  of  grass 
and  rushes  about  3  feet  high  and  only  an  occasional  bush.  The  fall 
in  the  Savannas  is  only  6  feet  in  3.8  miles.  The  proposed  improve¬ 
ment  consists  of  a  dredge  ditch  of  nadnimum  section  for  the  entire 
length  of  19,950  feet.  No  new  bridges  will  be  needed. 

To  prevent  the  occasional  overflow  from  the  Savannah  River,  the 
breaks  in  the  clay  ridge  on  the  west  boundary  of  the  district  should 
be  closed  by  low  dikes.  The  amount  and  cost  of  this  work  has  not 
been  estimated. 

Rum  Branch  drains  an  area  consisting  mostly  of  good  rolling  land 
now  under  cultivation,  but  including  Rogers  Bay  and  several  other 
large  bays.  The  upper  end  of  the  swamp  along  this  branch  is  about 
800  feet  wide,  but  it  soon  narrows  to  about  100  feet,  which  width  is 
maintained  for  about  2  miles;  below  this  the  width  becomes  very 
irregular.  Neither  the  bays  nor  the  lower  end  of  the  swamp  is  under 
cultivation.  The  fall  of  this  branch  is  ample  for  its  whole  length, 
being  54.5  feet  in  6.4  miles,  or  8.5  feet  to  the  mile.  The  proposed 
improvements  consist  of  a  handmade  ditch  for  the  upper  5,400  feet 
and  a  minimum  dredge  ditch  through  the  remainder  of  the  branch, 
which  has  a  total  length  of  34,200  feet.  Two  new  30-foot  bridges  will 
be  required. 

Hurricane  Branch  drains  about  1  square  mile  of  fairly  high  and 
slightly  rolling  ground,  practically  all  under  cultivation.  The  swamp 
is  very  narrow  the  whole  length  of  the  branch.  The  fall  amounts  to 
23.5  feet  in  2.1  miles.  There  is  at  present  a  good  ditch  throughout 
the  length  of  Hurricane  Branch,  4  to  10  feet  in  top  width,  3  to  4  feet 
in  bottom  width,  and  2|  to  6  feet  deep.  This  ditch  has  a  good  flow 
of  water,  but  it  could  be  improved  by  cleaning  and  straightening, 
which  improvements  are  the  only  ones  recommended  on  this  branch. 
The  length  of  the  ditch  is  11,150  feet. 


DKAINAGE  OF  BLACK  AND  BOGGY  SWAMPS^  S.  C. 


15 


IMPROVEMENTS  IN  BLACK  SWAMP  WATERSHED. 


The  watershed  area  of  Black  Swamp  is  comparatively  flat^  except 
the  lower  or  southern  portion,  which  is  more  rolling,  with  a  good  fall 
toward  the  swamp.  A  large  part  of  the  fiat  land  is  under  cultiva¬ 
tion,  while  the  remainder  is  mostly  fiat  bays  and  ponds  with  a  thick 
covering  of  bushes  and  trees. 

The  swamp  or  wet  land  along  this  stream  is  100  to  300  feet  wide 
for  the  first  few  miles  below  the  source,  then  400  to  600  feet  for  a  few 
miles,  and  finally  reaches  800  to  1,000  feet  width  at  the  lower  end. 
There  is  no  well-defined  channel,  and  during  wet  seasons  the  entire 
swamp  is  covered  with  water  several  feet  deep.  The  growth  in  this 
swamp  is  a  thick,  tangled  mass  of  vines,  briars,  canes,  and  bushes,  with 
a  fairly  heavy  growth  of  timber.  The  total  fall  is  79  feet,  quite 
sufficient  to  give  good  drainage  to  these  lands,  and  for  the  greater 
portion  of  the  swamp  it  is  quite  uniform,  as  may  be  seen  from  the 
profile  (fig.  3).  It  varies  from  12.5  feet  per  mile  at  the  upper  end  to 
1.3  feet  per  mile  for  a  short  distance  at  the  lower  end. 

The  proposed  improvements  on  Black  Swamp  consist,  as  shown  in 
figures  2  and  3,  of  a  dredge  ditch  starting  at  the  Southern  Bailway 
just  south  of  Furman  and  continuing  down  the  swamp  until  overfiow 
water  from  the  Savannah  River  is  encountered.  This  will  require 
a  ditch  about  10  miles  long.  The  depth  should  be  7  feet,  with  side 
slopes  of  to  1.  The  ditch  should  start  with  a  14-foot  bottom  width, 
increasing  to  30  feet.  At  the  lower  end  the  estimated  capacity  of 
the  ditch  is  less  than  the  calculated  run-off,  and  consequently  some 
fiooding  is  to  be  expected.  No  harm  will  result  from  this,  however, 
as  the  lower  end  of  the  swamp  wifi  be  fiooded  by  exteme  high  water 
in  the  Savannah  River,  and  the  lands  bordering  the  swamp  lie  15  to  20 
feet  above  its  level  and  have  good  natural  drainage.  The  table 
below  summarizes  the  data  and  computations  for  the  Black  Swamp 
ditch. 

Table  2. — Data  and  computations  for  BlacJc  Swamp  ditch. 


(Side  slopes  of  ditch,  J  to  1.) 


Station. 

Depth. 

Bottom 

width. 

Fall. 

Com¬ 

puted 

velocity. 

Watershed. 

Com¬ 

puted 

ditch 

capacity. 

From — 

To— 

Area. 

Run-off. 

Feet  per 

Feet  per 

Feet  per 

Cu.f  t. 

Cu.ft. 

Feet. 

Feet. 

foot. 

mile. 

second. 

Acres. 

per  sec. 

per  sec. 

00 

80 

7 

14 

0. 00237 

12.51 

2,000 

80 

102 

7 

14 

. 00200 

10. 56 

2,175 

102 

169 

7 

14 

. 00200 

10.56 

3' 575 

169 

180 

7 

14 

.00200 

10.56 

7' 050 

ISO 

240 

7 

14 

.00127 

6.71 

4.55 

7',  850 

555 

240 

299 

7 

14 

. 00127 

6. 71 

4.55 

10, 775 

453 

555 

299 

320 

7 

14 

.00127 

6.71 

4.55 

12, 600 

529 

555 

320 

339 

7 

16 

. 00095 

5.02 

4.1 

12, 9C0 

542 

560 

339 

407 

7 

20 

. 00095 

5.02 

4.3 

16, 650 

700 

710 

407 

432 

7 

22 

. 00095 

5.02 

4.35 

17, 425 

732 

775 

432 

460 

7 

22 

. 00095 

5.02 

4.35 

17, 925 

753 

775 

460 

526 

7 

30 

. 00023 

1.31 

2.4 

18, 500 

777 

565 

16 


BULLETIN  114,  U.  S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE. 


The  estimate  of  material  to  he  excavated  for  this  ditch  was  cal- 
cidated  in  2,000-foot  sections,  from  the  profile  data.  Three  highv/ay 
bridges  will  be  required  at  the  points  where  the  proposed  ditch  crosses 
the  public  roads,  one  of  35  feet  span  and  two  of  30  feet. 

WoK  Bay  lies  in  the  flat  woods  section  of  the  district.  Only  a 
small  part  of  the  basin  drained  is  under  cultivation,  the  greater  part 
being  flats  and  bays  covered  ivith  timber  and  brush.  It  has  two 
forks,  along  both  of  which  the  swamp  varies  greatly  in  width  but 
averages  about  300  feet.  The  fall  on  this  branch,  from  the  hea<l  of 
the  east  fork,  is  about  35  feet  in  4.6  miles.  The  proposed  improve¬ 
ments  on  the  east  fork  of  this  branch  consist  of  a  minimum  dredge 
ditch  for  its  entire  length  of  24,250  feet,  except  that  the  upper  mile 
should  be  a  handmade  ditch,  v/hile  the  west  fork  should  have  a 
smaller  ditch  and  is  considered  as  lateral  ditch  No.  10.  Four  new 
bridges  will  be  required,  one  span  of  15  feet  and  three  of  30  feet. 

Causeys  Branch  has  two  outlets,  part  of  the  water  going  direct  to 
Black  Swamp  through  Shumans  Bay  and  part  flowing  south  through 
Titi  Branch.  Most  of  the  drainage  area  is  rolling  land  under  culti¬ 
vation.  The  swamp  along  Causeys  Branch  is  quite  narrow  at  the 
upper  end,  about  600  feet  wide  from  the  railway  to  Shumans  Bay, 
where  it  widens  to  about  1,000  feet,  then  it  rapidly  narrows  before 
reaching  Black  Swamp.  The  fall  on  the  branch  is  comparatively 
large,  44  feet  in  3.3  miles,  or  13.3  feet  to  the  mile.  It  is  proposed  to 
carry  aU  the  water  by  the  more  direct  route  through  Shumans  Bay, 
the  improvement  to  consist  of  a  handmade  ditch  throughout  the 
entire  length  of  18,425  feet.  Two  new  15-foot  bridges  will  be  needed. 

Titi  Branch  drains  an  area  largely  under  cultivation,  with  rather 
rolhng  topography  and  a  good  fall  from  the  adjoining  lands  to  the 
branch.  The  swamp  along  this  branch  varies  much  in  width,  the 
upper  end  and  middle  section  being  wide,  while  the  lower  end  is 
narrow.  The  fall  on  Titi  Branch  is  quite  large,  amounting  to  43  feet 
m  3  miles.  The  improvement  proposed  for  this  branch  consists  of  a 
handmade  ditch  16,275  feet  long.  One  15-foot  bridge  will  be  re- 

Long  Branch  is  the  drainage  outlet  for  a  basm  quite  flat  and 
covered  with  timber  at  the  upper  end,  but  a  little  more  rolling  and 
largely  under  cultivation  at  the  lower  end.  The  swamp  along  this 
branch  averages  about  200  feet  in  width,  and  it  has  a  fall  of  about 
28  feet  in  3.2  miles.  The  proposed  improvement  consists  of  a  hand¬ 
made  ditch  through  the  enthe  branch,  a  distance  of  17,900  feet. 
Three  15-foot  bridges  will  be  required. 

Lyas  Bay  drains  good,  roUing  land,  a  large  part  of  which  is  now 
under  cultivation.  The  swamp  averages  about  700  feet  wide.  The 
proposed  improvement  is  a  handmade  ditch  9,900  feet  long,  running 
from  the  Southern  Bailway  southwest  to  the  bay,  thence  through  it 


DRAINAGE  OF  BLACK  AND  BOGGY  SWAMPS^  S.  C.  17 

to  Black  Swamp.  The  fall  will  be  22  feet  in  1.9  miles.  Two  15-foot 
bridges  wiH  be  required. 

Ballifore  Branch  heads  in  the  flat  woods  southeast  of  Kobertville. 
The  watershed  area  is  slightly  rolling  and  is  well  under  cultivation. 
The  swamp  averages  about  100  feet  wide,  and  the  fall  on  the  branch 
is  26  feet  in  1.3  miles.  The  improvement  proposed  consists  of  a 
handmade  ditch  for  the  entire  length  of  7,000  feet.  One  15-foot 
bridge  will  be  required. 

Rose  Hill  Branch  drains  an  area  that  is  fairly  rolling,  and  a  large 
part  of  which  is  cultivated.  The  swamp  along  this  branch  is  rather 
wide  at  the  upper  end,  but  gradually  decreases  to  not  more  than  50 
feet  at  the  lower  end.  The  fall  is  about  16  feet  to  the  mde.  The 
proposed  improvement  is  a  handmade  ditch  for  the  entire  length  of 
7,600  feet.  One  15-foot  bridge  will  be  required. 

IMPROVEMENTS  IN  INDEPENDENT  WATERSHEDS. 

Church  Branch  joins  Black  Swamp  outside  the  drainage  district. 
The  upper  end  of  the  watershed  area  is  quite  flat  and  consists  of  open 
pine  woods  and  grass,  but  the  lower  end  is  very  rolhng,  with  good 
natural  drainage;  nearly  all  of  the  land  is  under  cultivation.  The 
swamp  along  Church  Branch  is  only  50  to  100  feet  mde  at  the  upper 
end,  but  it  gradually  increases  until  at  the  lower  end  it  is  about  500 
feet  wide.  The  fall  on  this  branch  amounts  to  40  feet  in  3.9  miles. 
The  proposed  improvement  consists  of  a  minimum  dredge  ditch 
20,400  feet  long.  Five  bridges  of  30-foot  span  will  be  required. 

Hog  Branch  joins  King  Branch  and  empties  into  the  Pallachucolla 
Savannas,  finally  reaching  Black  Swamp  lower  do^vn.  The  upper  end 
of  the  watershed  is  very  flat,  composed  almost  entirely  of  flat  woods, 
with  occasional  ponds  and  bays,  all  in  timber.  This  section  needs 
drainage  outlets  badly,  as  water  stands  several  inches  deep  on  it  for 
long  periods  after  heavy  rains.  The  lower  section  of  the  watershed 
is  more  rolling,  and  fair  natural  drainage  is  secured  by  reason  of  a 
marked  drop  from  the  adjoining  lands  to  the  branch.  A  large  portion 
of  this  section  is  under  cultivation.  The  swamp  along  Hog  Branch  is 
very  narrow  at  the  upper  end,  but  toward  the  lower  end  it  widens  to 
about  300  feet.  The  total  fall  on  this  branch  is  46.5  feet  in  6.1  miles, 
the  slope  increasing  somewhat  from  the  upper  to  the  lower  end.  The 
proposed  improvement  consists  of  a  ditch  throughout  Hog  Branch 
and  extending  2^  miles  northward  into  the  flat  woods.  The  upper 
mile  will  be  a  handmade  ditch,  and  the  remainder  a  dredge  ditch  of 
minimum  size,  the  total  length  being  32,150  feet.  There  is  at  present 
in  the  branch  a  small  ditch  in  fair  condition,  but  so  small  that  it  has 
not  been  considered  in  estimating  the  excavation.  Two  30-foot 
bridges  will  be  needed. 


18 


BULLETIN  114,  U.  S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE. 


King  Branch  watershed  consists  of  flat  woods  in  the  upper  portion, 
and  rolhng  land  in  the  lower  portion,  which  has  fair  natural  drainage 
and  is  mostly  under  cultivation.  The  swamp  along  Kong  Branch, 
like  others  in  this  part  of  the  district,  is  narrow  at  the  upper  end  and 
gradually  widens  toward  the  outlet.  The  fall  is  40  feet  in  5.6  miles, 
being  greater  at  the  lower  end  than  at  the  upper.  A  minimum  dredge 
ditch  is  recommended  below  the  Orangeburg  Bo  ad,  and  a  handmade 
ditch  extending  north  for  about  1  mile  into  the  flat  woods  to  give 
those  lands  a  drainage  outlet.  The  ditch  would  have  a  total  length 
of  29,490  feet.  Two  30-foot  bridges  will  be  required. 

Scott  Swamp  No.  1  drains  rolling  land  principally,  and  most  of  the 
lower  end  of  the  area  is  cultivated.  At  the  upper  end  the  swamp  is 
wide  and  flat,  but  it  narrows  rapidly  toward  the  outlet.  The  fall  is 
39  feet  in  2.4  miles.  The  proposed  improvement  is  a  handmade  ditch 
12,700  feet  long.  An  existing  small  ditch  about  a  mile  long  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  swamp  will  reduce  the  necessary  excavation  by 
about  1,000  cubic  yards.  Two  15-foot  bridges  will  be  needed. 

LATERAL  DITCHES. 

In  addition  to  the  ditches  that  have  been  described,  practically  all 
of  which  lie  in  the  larger  watercourses,  66  laterals  should  be  con¬ 
structed  as  indicated  and  numbered  on  the  map  (fig.  2).  These  wiU 
extend  out  from  the  main  channels  at  all  the  low  places,  to  provide 
drainage  connection  between  the  flat  lands  and  the  larger  ditches. 
Owing  to  the  lack  of  machinery  suitable  for  constructing  small 
ditches  in  wooded  land,  the  laterals  have  been  estimated  as  hand¬ 
made  ditches,  3  feet  in  bottom  width,  5  feet  deep,  with  to  1  side 
slopes.  The  excavation  has  been  computed  as  1  cubic  yard  per  linear 
foot  of  ditch.  Where  these  laterals  are  crossed  by  public  roads  23 
bridges  will  be  required,  each  15  feet  long.  The  following  table  shows 
the  length  and  excavation  for  the  lateral  ditches : 

Table  3. — Length  and  excavation  for  lateral  ditches. 


[Excavation=l  cubic  yard  per  linear  foot  of  ditch.] 


Lateral 

No. 

Tributary  to — 

Length  and 
excavation. 

Lateral 

No. 

Tributary  to — 

Length  and 
excavation. 

1 

2 

Boggy  Swamp . 

. do . 

Ft.  and  cu.  yds. 
3,600 

5.900 
12, 200 

3, 100 
4,800 
12,300 

2.900 

16 

17 

Boggy  Swamp . 

. do . 

Ft.andcu.yds. 

4. 100 
2,800 
4,400 
9,600 
3,300 
4,700 

5.100 

3 

Beaver  Dam  No.  1 . 

18 

. do . . . 

4 

. do . . . 

19 

Beaver  Dam  No.  2 . 

5 

. do . . . 

20 

Rum  Branch . 

6 

. do . . . . . 

21 

. do . 

Pm 

( 

Lateral  No.  6 . 

22 

. do . 

8 

(Eliminated.) 

23 

Lateral  No.  22 . 

2, 100 

9 

Beaver  Dam  No.  1 . 

6,900 
6,875 
4, 100 
5,300 
8,400 
4,500 
5,300 

24 

. do . 

2,200 
3,600 
11, 650 
7,800 
7,700 
6,900 
6,000 

10 

Wolf  Bay . 

25 

Lateral  No.  26 . 

11 

Black  Swamp . 

26 

Rum  Branch . 

12 

. do . . . 

27 

...  .do . 

13 

Church  Branch . 

28 

The  Sav««nas . 

14 

Beaver  Dam  No.  1 . 

29 

Rum  Branch . 

15 

Beaver  Dam  No.  2 . 

30 

Mill  Branch . 

DRAINAGE  OF  BLACK  AND  BOGGY  SWAMPS,  S.  C.  19 

/ 

Table  3, — Length  and  excavation  for  lateral  ditches — Continued. 


Lateral 

No. 


Tributary  to — 


31 

32 

33 

34 

35 

36 

37 

38 

39 

40 

41 

42 

43 

44 

45 

46 

47 

48 

49 
60 


The  Savannas. 
Bog^  Swamp. 


_ do . 

Manigault  Branch 

King  Branch . 

Manigault  Branch 

Independent . 

Causeys  Branch. . . 

Titi  Branch . 

Black  Swamp . 

_ do . 

_ do . 

lyong  Branch . 

Black  Swamp . 

. do . 

Lateral  No.  46 _ 

Black  Swamp . 

Church  Branch _ 

Lateral  No.  49 - 


Length  and 
excavation. 

Lateral 

No. 

Tributary  to — 

Length  and 
excavation. 

Ft.  andcu.  yds. 
7,200 

51 

Black  Swamp . 

Ft.andcu.yds. 

2,800 

4,700 

52 

Independent . 

3,900 

5,150 

53 

. do . 

8,000 

15,200 

54 

Titi  Branch . 

2,500 

8,800 

55 

Beaver  Dam  No.  1 . 

4,200 

3,900 

7,000 

56 

Wolf  Bay . 

3,200 

4,000 

57 

Black  Swamp . 

5,400 

58 

Hog  Branch . 

3,000 

3,900 

59 

Lateral  No.  30 . 

8,300 

7,200 

60 

Manigault  Branch . 

5,850 

6,200 

61 

Lateral  No.  37 . 

3,000 

4,900 

62 

Lateral  No.  38 . 

3,900 

7,200 

63 

. do . : . 

2,750 

4,900 

64 

Boggy  Swamp . 

6,000 

8,300 

65 

Lateral  No.  64 . 

1,300 

7,050 

66 

Mill  Branch . 

2,300 

2,900 

67 

Black  Swamp . 4, 

2,950 

2,900 

8,000 

3,000 

Total . 

359, 475 

ESTIMATE  OF  COST. 

Giving  to  tlie  arrangement  of  the  swamps  and  branches  in  Black 
and  Boggy  Swamps  drainage  district  the  excavation  will  necessarily 
be  slow,  as  the  dredges  will  have  to  be  rebuilt  several  times.  The 
cost  of  excavation  by  dredge  in  the  two  main  swamps  has  been  esti¬ 
mated  at  8  cents  per  cubic  yard  and  in  the  tributaries  at  10  cents 
per  cubic  yard.  These  figures  are  based  on  contracts  in  different 
localities,  where  conditions  are  similar  to  those  in  this  district.  The 
handwork  has  been  estimated  at  25  cents  per  cubic  yard.  The  cost 
of  clearing  the  right  of  way  is  included  in  the  unit  price  for  excava¬ 
tion;  the  purchase  cost  has  been  estimated  at  $10  per  acre.  Bridges 
have  been  estimated  at  $20  per  foot  of  span,  plus  $200.  A  summa¬ 
rized  estimate  of  the  costs  for  the  whole  district  is  given  in  the  fol¬ 
lowing  table: 

Table  4. — -Summary  of  cost  data. 

BOGGY  SWAMP  WATERSHED. 


Ditch. 

Excavation. 

Bridges. 

Right  of 
way,  at 
$10  per 
acre. 

Engi¬ 
neering 
and  legal, 
at  10 
per  cent. 

Total 

Cubic 
yards,  at 
"8  cents. 

Cubic 
yards,  at 
10  cents. 

Cubic 
yards,  at 
25  cents. 

Cost. 

Boggy  Swamp . 

Beaver  Dam  No.  1 . 

Beaver  Dam  No.  2 . 

Manigault  Branch . 

Mill  Branch . 

The  Savannas . 

369,540 

140,510 
91,440 
150, 500 
84, 170 
90, 570 
130,  750 
:  and  straig 

9, 440 
7, 550 
5, 280 

6,700 

$31,923 
15, 939 
10, 464 
15, 050 
10,092 
9,057 
14, 425 
1,050 
55,762 

$4, 900 
1,600 
800 
800 
1,600 

$1,430 

620 

410 

610 

390 

370 

570 

80 

1,540 

$3, 825 
1,816 
1,167 
1,646 
1,208 
943 
1,660 
113 
6,280 

$42,078 
19,975 
12, 841 
18, 106 
13, 290 
10, 370 
18, 255 
1,243 
69,082 

Rum  Branch . 

Hurricane  Branch . 

Laterals  (38) . 

Total  for  Boggy 
Swamp  water¬ 
shed  . 

(Cleaning 

5,400 

htening.) 

223,050 

1,600 

5,500 

163, 762 

16,800 

6,020 

18,658 

205,240 

1 

20 


BULLETIN  114,  U.  S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE. 


Table  4. — Summary  of  cost  data — Continued. 
BLACK  SWAMP  WATERSHED. 


Ditch. 

Excavation. 

Bridges. 

Right  of 
way,  at 
$10  per 
acre. 

Engi¬ 
neering 
and  legal, 
at  10 
per  cent. 

Total. 

Cubic 
yards,  at 
8  cents. 

Cubic 
3"ards,  at 
10  cents. 

Cubic 
yards,  at 
25  cents. 

Cost. 

Black  Swamp . 

Wolf  Bay . 

Causeys  Branch . 

Titi  Branch . 

Long  Branch . 

Lyas  Bay . 

Ballifore  Branch . 

Rose  Hill  Branch . 

Laterals  (18) . 

Total  for  Black 
Swamp  water¬ 
shed  . 

261, 170 

. 

. 

• 

86, 120 

5,280 
18, 425 
16,275 
17, 900 
9, 900 
7,000 
7,  COO 
86, 175 

$20,894 

9,932 

4,606 

4,069 

4.475 

2.475 
1,750 
1,900 

21,544 

$2,500 
2, 900 
1,000 
500 
1,500 
1,000 
500 
500 
5,000 

$1,070 

390 

130 

no 

120 

70 

50 

50 

590 

$2, 446 
1,322 
574 
468 
610 
355 
230 
245 
2,713 

$26, 910 
14, 544 
6,310 
5,147 
6,705 
3,900 
2,530 
2,695 
29, 847 

71,645 

.  15,400 

2,580 

8, 963 

98,588 

INDEPENDENT  WATERSHEDS. 


Chmch  Branch . 

Hog  Branch . 

King  Branch . 

Scott  Swamp  No.  1 . 

Laterals  (10) . 

Total  for  inde¬ 
pendent  water¬ 
sheds  . 

92, 620 
121, 990 
109, 910 

5,280 

5,280 

11,700 

50,250 

$9,262 
13,519 
12,311 
2, 925 
12,562 

$4,000 

1,600 

1,600 

1,000 

1,000 

$380 

530 

480 

90 

350 

$1,364 

1,585 

1,439 

402 

1,391 

$15,006 

17,214 

15,830 

4,417 

15,303 

50,579 

9,200 

1,830 

6, 161 

67, 770 

Total  for  the  drainage  district,  $371,598. 
Number  of  acres  in  district,  67,642. 
Average  cost  per  acre,  $5.50. 


The  total  cost  of  the  66  lateral  ditches  has  been  estimated  above 
as  $114,232.  Omitting  these,  the  cost  of  ditching  only  the  two  main 
swamps  and  the  principal  tributaries  would  be,  as  estimated,  $257,366, 
or  $3.80  per  acre.  It  is  strongly  recommended,  however,  that  the 
laterals  be  constructed,  as  well  as  the  main  ditches. 

MAINTENANCE. 

Not  much  work  should  be  required  to  keep  the  ditches  in  condition 
after  they  are  constructed.  The  velocity  of  flow  due  to  large  fall  in 
most  of  the  ditches  will  assist  materially  in  keeping  down  the  growth 
of.  vegetation  in  the  channels.  However,  an  organized  method  of 
inspection  should  be  adopted  in  the  district  whereby  each  ditch  vill 
be  examined  at  least  once  each  year,  preferably  just  before  the  rainy 
season.  Any  obstructions  should  be  removed  and  any  damage  to  the 
ditches  should  be  repaired  as  soon  as  noted.  If  maintenance  work  is 
given  prompt  attention,  the  defects  can  be  remedied  with  compara¬ 
tively  httle  expense;  but  if  it  is  neglected,  the  task  v/ill  become  a 
formidable  one,  and  in  the  meantime  the  efficiency  of  the  drainage 
system  will  be  reduced. 


DRAINAGE  OF  BLACK  AND  BOGGY  SWAMPS,  S.  C. 


21 


CONCLUSIONS. 

Anyone  who  is  at  all  familiar  with  the  agricultural  conditions 
existing  in  the  Black  and  Boggy  Swamps  drainage  district  at  the 
time  this  survey  was  made,  could  not  but  be  impressed  with  the 
need  for  artificial  drainage.  Large  areas  cf  land  are  at  present 
}fielding  no  revenue  whatever,  yet  all  apparently  have  such  natural 
qualities  as  would  make  them  excellent  farming  lands  if  they  could  bo 
relieved  of  excess  water.  The  plans  presented  in  this  report  provide 
for  such  relief,  which  should  be  secured  at  an  average  cost  of  about 
S5.50  per  acre  and  would  be  worth  many  times  that  amount,  although 
to  realize  the  fullest  possibilities  of  the  soil  in  many  parts  of  the  dis¬ 
trict  tile  drainage  also  should  be  installed.  The  ditches  have  been 
designed  of  ample  depth  to  serve  as  outlets  for  the  tile  drains. 

Besides  the  financial  advantage  cf  increased  crop  production  due 
to  drainage,  there  is  the  benefit  to  the  general  health  cf  the  commu¬ 
nity,  which  is  none  the  less  real  and  important  because  it  is  less 
easily  measured  in  money  values.  The  decrease  of  malaria,  which 
now  exists  in  certain  parts  of  the  district,  by  removing  the  breeding 
places  of  mosquitoes,  will  make  those  parts  more  desirable  for  resi¬ 
dence  and  thereby  add  to  their  commercial  value. 


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